Winch including integrated contactor and motor

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are provided for a winch including a motor and a contactor assembly positioned within a same housing. In one example, the contactor assembly is positioned at an end of an armature of the motor and may include a controller configured to control winch component operation. The contactor assembly is electrically coupled to the armature via a plurality of electrically conductive brushes.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/436,362, entitled “WINCH INCLUDING INTEGRATEDCONTACTOR AND MOTOR,” filed on Dec. 19, 2016, the entire contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

FIELD

The present application relates generally to a winch including a motorand a contactor assembly positioned within a same housing.

SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND

Winches may include a motor for driving a rotatable drum of the winch topull in or pull out a cable wound around the drum. In one example,winches may be controlled via a control unit located at a location awayfrom the motor. Further, a remote control may wirelessly (or via a wiredconnection) control winch operation through electronic communicationwith the control unit.

The winch motor may be electrically coupled with a power source in orderto drive the motor. In some examples, a contactor assembly iselectrically coupled between the motor and the power source in order tocontrol a flow of electrical current from the power source to the motor.The contactor assembly is often mounted to an exterior surface of ahousing of the winch or motor, thereby resulting in a plurality of wireselectrically coupling the motor to the contactor assembly and thecontactor assembly to the power source. In examples in which a controlunit is coupled to the winch, the control unit may also be electricallycoupled to the contactor assembly via another plurality of wires. As aresult of the numerous wired electrical connections between the motor,contactor assembly, power source, and control unit, an installationand/or setup time of the winch may be increased. Additionally, in someenvironments the plurality of wires may be exposed to harsh weatherconditions, may be become tangled and/or frayed, etc., thereby resultingin degradation of the electrical connections between components of thewinch and/or the power source.

Thus in one example, the above issues may be at least partiallyaddressed by a motor assembly for a winch, comprising: a motor; acontactor assembly coupled to the motor, the contactor assemblyincluding two or more coils spaced apart from one another within acontactor housing of the contactor assembly, a brush assembly includinga plurality of brushes surrounding a central axis of the contactorassembly, and a controller; and a motor housing surrounding andenclosing the motor and contactor assembly within an interior of themotor housing. In this way, an amount of wired electrical connectionsbetween the motor, contactor assembly, and a power source of the winchmay be reduced. By reducing the amount of wired electrical connections,the installation and/or setup time of the winch may be reduced and winchmaintenance may be performed more easily.

It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introducein simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described inthe detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essentialfeatures of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defineduniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description.Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited toimplementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any partof this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a winch including a motor housing.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a motor assembly including a motor anda contactor assembly coupled within the motor housing.

FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional view of the motor and the contactorassembly included within the motor housing.

FIG. 3B shows an assembled view of the motor assembly of FIGS. 2 and 3A.

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of an alternate embodiment of a motorassembly including a motor and a contactor assembly coupled within themotor housing.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the alternate embodiment of themotor and the contactor assembly included within the motor housing.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a motor assembly of a winch, the motorassembly including a motor and a contactor assembly positioned within aninterior of a motor housing.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of a motor assembly including a contactorassembly mounted around a motor of the motor assembly from a first end.

FIG. 8 shows an assembled view of the motor assembly of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 shows an exploded view of the motor assembly of FIG. 7 from asecond end.

FIGS. 10A-10E each show different views of a motor housing for a motorof a winch.

FIGS. 11A-11B each show different views of components disposed withinthe motor housing of FIGS. 10A-10E, with the components removed from themotor housing.

FIG. 12 shows a first exploded view of the motor and components of themotor housing of FIGS. 10A-10E.

FIG. 13 shows a second exploded view of the motor and components of themotor housing of FIGS. 10A-10E.

FIGS. 1-5 and 7-13 are shown to scale, although other relativedimensions may be used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description relates to systems and methods for awinch including a motor and a contactor assembly positioned within asame housing and/or arranged together within a space defined by a drumsupport of the winch. A winch, such as the winch shown by FIG. 1,includes a rotatable drum drivable by a motor and coupled with a gearset. The motor is positioned within an interior of a motor housing andis directly coupled with a contactor assembly within the motor housing.The contactor assembly includes a plurality of electrical terminals, acontroller, a brush assembly, and a plurality of conductive brushesmounted to the brush assembly. In one example, each of the brushes isbiased in a radial direction toward an outer circumferential surface ofan armature of the motor and in a direction perpendicular to arotational axis of the motor, as shown by FIGS. 2-3. In another example,each of the brushes is biased in an axial direction toward an endsurface of the armature and in a direction parallel to the rotationalaxis of the motor, as shown by FIGS. 4-5. The brushes press against thecorresponding surface of the armature and may be energized via thecontactor in order to flow electrical energy to the motor. The brushassembly may be a separate unit removably coupled to a contactor housingof the contactor assembly (as shown by FIGS. 2-3), or the brush assemblyand contactor housing may be formed (e.g., integrated) together as asingle unit (as shown by FIGS. 4-5). By directly coupling the contactorassembly with the motor within the motor housing, an amount of externalelectrical connections (e.g., wires) coupling a power source to thecontactor assembly and motor may be reduced, as shown at FIG. 6. In thisway, an ease of installation of the contactor assembly may be increasedand a maintenance of the motor may be simplified. In an alternateembodiment, the contactor assembly may be mounted around a motor of thewinch. For example, as shown in FIGS. 7-9, a contactor may be mountedagainst and around a portion of a motor of a winch. In another example,as shown by FIGS. 10A-13, the motor includes a field coil arraydirectly, electrically coupled to the contactor assembly.

A winch including a motor and a contactor assembly positioned within amotor housing is described below with reference to FIGS. 1-5. FIG. 1shows an example of a winch which may include a motor assembly includinga motor and a contactor assembly positioned within a motor housing, suchas the motor and contact assembly shown in a first embodiment by FIGS.2-3 and a second embodiment by FIGS. 4-5. Reference axes 195 areincluded by each of FIGS. 1-5 for comparison of each view.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a winch 100 including a housing 160and a motor assembly 199. Housing 160 includes a first drum support 110and a second drum support 112. The housing 160 further includes a motorhousing 105 formed by the first drum support 110 coupled to a motor endcap 106 and a gear housing 126 formed by the second drum support 112coupled to a gear end cap 108. In some examples, the motor end cap 106may be mounted (e.g., fastened) directly to the first drum support 110.In other examples, the motor end cap 106 may be indirectly mounted tothe first drum support 110 via a coupling to one or more components(e.g., additional housing elements) between the motor end cap and thefirst drum support 110. A motor is disposed within the motor housing 105and a gear reduction unit including a plurality of gears (e.g., such asa planetary gear set) and a clutch is disposed within the gear housing126. A tie structure 120 is positioned at a top side 122 of the winch. Acontroller (shown by FIGS. 2-3 in a first embodiment and FIGS. 4-5 in asecond embodiment) positioned within the motor housing 105 may be anelectronic controller (such as a microcontroller) and may control aspeed of the motor within the motor housing 105 and/or a gear selectionof a gear set (e.g., gear reduction unit) positioned within the gearhousing 126. In some examples, the controller may control operation ofone or more accessories of the winch (e.g., winch lights, lights of avehicle coupled to the winch, etc.), as described further below withreference to FIG. 6. In one example, an operator of the winch mayprovide input (e.g., instructions) to the controller via wirelesscommunication (e.g., via a remote control). For example, the operatormay interface with a remote control in order to select a mode ofoperation of the winch 100 as described below.

The motor and gear set are each coupled to a drum 118 of the winch 100in order to rotate the drum 118 around a central axis 190. The motorhousing 105 is positioned at a first end 102 of the winch 100 and thegear housing 126 is positioned at a second end 104 of the winch 100,with the first end 102 being opposite to the second end 104 in adirection of the central axis 190. The drum 118 is coupled to the motorthrough the gear reduction unit which is coupled to the motor through aninterior of a cylindrical portion 164 of the drum 118. The controllermay also control a position of the clutch disposed within the gearhousing 126. The clutch may engage and disengage the gear reduction unit(e.g., transmission of the winch) with a drum 118 of the winch 100,thereby allowing the drum 118 to be driven by the motor or freespool(e.g., freely rotate without input from the motor and gear reductionunit).

In one example operation of the winch 100, the motor may drive the drum118 to rotate around the central axis 190 in a first direction 165 or asecond direction opposite to the first direction. For example, the motormay be driven in the first direction 165 in order to rotate the drum 118around the central axis 190, and the motor may be driven in the seconddirection opposite to the first direction in order to rotate the drum118 around the central axis in the second direction. In this example, aselected gear of the gear set may adjust a rotational speed of the drumrelative to a rotational speed of the motor. In one example, a rope(e.g., cable) 192 may be wound around an outer surface 119 of the drum118 in order to perform pulling operations via the winch 100. In someexamples, the rope 192 may be coupled with a hook 150 in order toincrease an ease of attachment of the rope 192 to an object (e.g., avehicle) to perform pulling operations.

The drum 118 includes a first flange (indicated by arrow 116 andreferred to herein as first flange 116) positioned at a first end of thecylindrical portion 164 of the drum 118 and a second flange 114positioned at a second end of the cylindrical portion 164 of the drum118. The first flange 116 and second flange 114 each are cylindrical inshape and have a diameter that is greater than a diameter of thecylindrical portion 164 of the drum 118 (e.g., the portion extendingbetween the first flange 116 and second flange 114). The first flange116 is supported by first drum support 110 while the second flange 114is supported by second drum support 112. The first flange 116 and secondflange 114 are coupled with their respective supports (e.g., first drumsupport 110 and second drum support 112, respectively) such that eachflange is rotatable within the corresponding drum support when the motoris actuated to drive the drum 118 (or when the drum is in a freespoolmode). In other words, as the motor within motor housing 105 isenergized by a power source 175 (e.g., a vehicle battery, indicatedschematically by FIG. 1), the motor may drive the drum 118 to rotatearound the central axis 190. In one example, the motor may be energizedin response to a selection of an operation mode by an operator of thewinch (e.g., via a remote control) as described above. As the drum 118is driven, the first flange 116 rotates within the first drum support110 and the second flange 114 rotates within the second drum support112.

The winch 100 includes electrical terminals 180 extending outward from acontactor assembly positioned within an interior of the motor housing105 and shown by FIGS. 2-5. Electrical terminals 180 include a firstterminal 182 and a second terminal 184. In one example, first terminal182 may be an electrical power source input and second terminal 184 maybe an electrical ground input. In another example, first terminal 182may be an electrical ground input and second terminal 184 may be anelectrical power source input. In some examples, electrical current mayflow from the power source 175 to the electrical terminals 180 via apower cable 171 coupled to a plug 170. Plug 170 is shaped to couple withthe electrical terminals 180 in order to flow electrical current to thecontactor assembly. As described below in a first embodiment withreference to FIGS. 2-3 and a second embodiment with reference to FIGS.4-5, electrical current may flow from the power source 175 and throughthe contactor assembly to the motor in order to energize the motor.

By positioning the contactor assembly within the motor housing 105 anddirectly coupling the contactor assembly to the motor according to theconfigurations described below, an amount of wired electricalconnections coupling the motor to the power source 175 may be reduced.For example, the power cable 171 is the only wired electrical connectioncoupling the contactor assembly to the power source 175, and because thecontactor assembly is directly coupled with the motor, electricalcurrent may flow directly from the power source 175 to the motor via thecontactor assembly without an additional power cable (similar to powercable 171) coupled between the contactor assembly and the motor.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the motor assembly 199 shown by FIG. 1,with the motor assembly 199 including a first embodiment of a contactorassembly 200. In some embodiments, the motor assembly 199 may bereferred to as a combined, or integrated, motor assembly that includescontactor assembly 200 and motor 201. In the first embodiment shown byFIGS. 2-3, the contactor assembly 200 includes a plurality of brushes218 arranged in a radial configuration relative to the central axis 190.Each of the brushes is mounted to a brush assembly 202, and the brushassembly 202 is removably coupled with a contactor housing 224. In otherwords, the brush assembly 202 and contactor housing 224 are not formedtogether as a single piece (e.g., not integrated together). In anotherembodiment, the brush assembly 202 may be additionally or alternativelymounted to the motor end cap 106, drum support 110, or flux ring 206.Alternate embodiments may include an axial configuration of the brushes218 such as the configuration shown by FIGS. 4-5 and described below. Inanother embodiment, the radial configuration of the brushes 218 may beincluded in an assembly where the brush assembly and contactor housingare formed together as a single piece (e.g., integrated together,similar to the example shown by FIGS. 4-5).

As described above with reference to FIG. 1, motor housing 105 includesthe first drum support 110 and the motor end cap 106. The first drumsupport 110 and motor end cap 106 may be coupled (e.g., directlycoupled) together via a plurality of fasteners (e.g., bolts, not shown).Motor 201 and contactor assembly 200 are coupled together within aninterior of the motor housing 105, as indicated in part by an interior230 of the first drum support 110 shown by FIGS. 2-3A. The motor end cap106 includes one or more apertures 265 (e.g., openings) shaped toreceive the electrical terminals 180 of the contactor assembly 200 whenthe motor 201 and contactor assembly 200 are coupled together within themotor housing 105. In other words, the electrical terminals 180 andaperture 265 are arranged at a same end of the contactor assembly 200when the motor 201 and contactor assembly 200 are coupled togetherwithin the motor housing 105. In this configuration, the electricalterminals 180 extend outward from the interior of the motor housing 105,as shown by FIG. 1 and described above. The motor end cap 106 furtherincludes a terminal isolator 267 coupled to an outside of the motor endcap 106 and adapted to electrically isolate the electrical terminals 180from one another and the external environment. A plurality of o-rings269 may also surround each of the electrical terminals 180.

The motor 201 includes an armature 204 shaped to fit within a flux ring206. Flux ring 206 is shaped to fit within the interior 230 of the firstdrum support 110 and is rotationally fixed (e.g., non-rotatable)relative to the first drum support 110. Flux ring 206 is configured toproduce a magnetic field within the interior 230 of the first drumsupport 110 (e.g., within an inner diameter 331 of the flux ring 206, asshown by FIG. 3A). In one example, the magnetic field produced by theflux ring 206 may be due to a plurality of permanent magnets includedwithin the flux ring 206. In other examples, the magnetic field may bedue to an energization of electrically conductive coils of the flux ring206 by the power source 175 (shown schematically by FIG. 1). In examplesin which the flux ring 206 includes electrically conductive coils, thecoils may be energized via direct contact with one or more electricallyconductive surfaces of the contactor assembly 200.

The armature 204 includes a first portion 221, a second portion 223, anda third portion 225. The third portion 225 may have an outer diameter327 (shown by FIG. 3A) slightly less than the inner diameter 331 of theflux ring 206, and the second portion 223 may have an outer diameter 329(shown by FIG. 3A) less than the outer diameter 327 of the third portion225. The armature 204 is rotatably mounted within the motor housing 105by one or more fasteners, springs, and bearings (e.g., spring 209,coupler 208, and bearing 214). In other words, the armature 204 iscoupled to the motor housing 105 such that the armature 204 may rotaterelative to the motor housing 105 in a direction around the central axis190, such that the central axis 190 is a rotational axis of armature 204(e.g., a rotational axis of motor 201). An interior of the third portion225 of the armature 204 includes a plurality of energizable coilselectrically coupled with the second portion 223. The coils of thearmature 204 may be energized via direct contact of the second portion223 with the plurality of brushes 218 of the contactor assembly 200 (asdescribed further below). Electrical current flowing through the coilsinteracts with the magnetic field produced by the flux ring 206 andresults in a rotational motion of the armature 204 around the centralaxis 190. As described above with reference to FIG. 1, the armature 204is coupled to a gear reduction unit through an interior of a cylindricalportion 164 of the drum 118 (shown by FIG. 1) such that rotation of thearmature 204 drives the gear reduction unit, and driving the gearreduction unit may rotate the drum 118.

Each of the brushes 218 are coupled (e.g., mounted) to the brushassembly 202 and in one example may be arranged such that each brush 218presses against the second portion 223 along an outer circumference 220of the second portion 223, as shown by FIGS. 2-3A. In the example shownby FIGS. 2-3A, the brushes 218 are positioned radially around thecentral axis 190. Each brush 218 may be urged toward the central axis190 (e.g., in a radial direction 222 relative to the central axis 190)by one or more biasing members (e.g., springs, not shown). The brushes218 and biasing members may each be formed of electrically conductivematerials. In one example, the brushes 218 may be made of carbon and thebiasing members may be made of a conductive metal such as copper orsteel.

In the example shown by FIGS. 2-3A, the brush assembly 202 may becoupled (e.g., mechanically coupled) to a first side 228 of a contactorhousing 224 of the contactor assembly 200 via one or more fasteners(e.g., push nuts 227), fastening apertures 229 on the brush assembly202, and mounting extensions 231 on the first side 228 of the contactorhousing 224, with the first side 228 being opposite to a second side 226of the contactor housing 224 in the direction of the central axis 190.The first side 228 of the contactor housing 224 is further from themotor end cap 106 than the second side 226 in the direction of thecentral axis 190. In other examples, the brush assembly 202 andcontactor housing 224 may instead be formed together as a single piece(e.g., molded together), with the brush assembly 202 positioned at thefirst side 228.

The contactor housing 224 includes a first coil 205 and a second coil207 (shown by FIG. 3A and indicated by arrows in FIG. 2) positionedwithin an interior of the contactor housing 224. However, in alternateembodiments, the contactor housing 224 may include two or more coils(such as first coil 205, second coil 207, and an additional, thirdcoil). In the example shown by FIGS. 2-3, the first coil 205 and secondcoil 207 are positioned opposite to each other in a directionperpendicular to the central axis 190 (and across the central axis 190)such that an outer surface of the first coil 205 and an outer surface ofthe second coil 207 are separated by a distance 300 (shown by FIG. 3A).In some examples, the brush assembly 202 is positioned between the firstcoil 205 and second coil 207 such that the brush assembly 202 fitswithin the distance 300 and surrounds the first portion 221 of thearmature 204. In alternate examples, the brushes 218 of the brushassembly 202 may be positioned proximate to but outside of the gap thatseparates the first coil 205 and second coil 207. The first coil 205and/or second coil 207 may be energized in order to flow electricalcurrent through the contactor assembly 200 and the brushes 218, therebyenergizing the armature 204 as described above. In one example,energization of the first coil 205 and/or second coil 207 may apply amagnetic force to components internal to the contactor housing 224 inorder to close an electrical circuit between the brushes 218 and thepower source 175 (shown by FIG. 1), thereby flowing electrical currentfrom the power source 175 to the brushes 218 via the contactor assembly200.

In one example, energization of the first coil 205 and/or second coil207 may be controlled by a controller 210 positioned within the motorhousing 105. In some examples, controller 210 is directly coupled withthe contactor assembly 200. The controller 210 may include instructionsstored in non-transitory memory to energize the first coil 205 and/orthe second coil 207 in response to input by an operator of the winch(e.g., winch 100 shown by FIG. 1). For example, the operator of thewinch may interface with a remote control (or another remote controllerdevice such as a wired remote, wireless remote, a vehicle systemcontroller, or the like) in order to send a wireless signal (e.g., radiowave signal) to the controller 210 indicating that a rotation of thedrum 118 (shown by FIG. 1) in a first direction is desired by theoperator. The controller 210 may then energize the first coil 205 and/orthe second coil 207 in order to flow electrical current through thebrushes 218 and into the armature 204, thereby rotating the armature 204around the central axis 109 and driving the gear reduction unit torotate the drum 118 in the first direction. In another example, theoperator of the winch may interface with the remote control in order tosend a wireless signal to the controller 210 indicating that a rotationof the drum 118 in a second direction opposite to the first direction isdesired by the operator. The controller 210 may then energize the firstcoil 205 and/or the second coil 207 in order to flow electrical currentthrough the brushes 218 and into the armature 204, thereby rotating thearmature 204 around the central axis 109 and driving the gear reductionunit to rotate the drum 118 in the second direction.

In some examples, the controller 210 may include a motor speed sensor,motor current sensor, voltage sensor, motor direction sensor, motorposition sensor, drum rotation sensor, and/or motor temperature sensor,and the controller 210 may be configured to receive and/or transmitwired and/or wireless signals from/to a controller area network (CAN)and/or winch accessories (e.g., an electric free spooling clutchactuator). In another example, as shown in FIG. 2, the controller 210may include a plurality of electrical wires 233 for electricallycoupling the controller 210 to an external system (such as a vehiclesystem) and/or external controller (such as a vehicle controller), whichare encased within an electrical (e.g., power) cable 235 that extendsfrom an exterior of the motor assembly, as shown in FIG. 3B. In theembodiment shown by FIGS. 2-3A, a motor shaft sensor 216 (which may bereferred to herein as a motor speed sensor) is coupled to the firstportion 221 of the armature 204 (e.g., inserted into the first portion221 in an axial direction relative to the central axis 190 and extendingaway from the armature 204 in the axial direction). Motor shaft sensor216 may sense a speed and/or position of the armature 204 relative tothe contactor housing 224 and send electrical signals to the controller210 to indicate the speed and/or position of the armature 204. Forexample, the motor shaft sensor 216 may be adapted to measure one ormore of a rotational speed of the motor, a direction of rotation of themotor, and a position of the motor.

The controller 210 may include instructions stored thereon for adjustingoperation of the motor 201 in response to an output of the motor shaftsensor, temperature sensor, current sensor, voltage sensor, and/orsignals from the remote control (as described above). As shown in FIG.2, one or more sensors 237 (including the temperature sensor, currentsensor, voltage sensor, or the like) may be directly coupled to thecontroller 210. The temperature sensor may be configured to measure atemperature of the motor 201. In one example, the controller 210 maymonitor (e.g., measure) an output of the temperature sensor and comparethe measured temperature to a threshold temperature. If the measuredtemperature exceeds the threshold temperature, the controller mayde-energize (e.g., turn off) the motor 201 in order to reduce thetemperature of the motor 201. By coupling the temperature sensordirectly to the controller, the temperature sensor may measure thetemperature of the motor 201, and the controller 210 may directlyinterpret the measured temperature from the temperature sensor withoutadditional electrical connections. For example, in winches that do notinclude a temperature sensor directly coupled with a controller (e.g.,winches in which the controller is positioned outside of the motorhousing), the temperature sensor may be electrically wired with thecontroller, thereby increasing an amount of wired electrical connectionsto the motor housing, or the temperature sensor may be in remotecommunication with the controller (e.g., via a wireless signal), therebyincreasing a complexity and/or cost of the temperature sensor and/orcontroller. By coupling the temperature sensor directly to thecontroller, the amount of wired connections and/or wireless connectionsbetween the temperature sensor and controller is decreased.

In another example, the voltage sensor may be configured to measure anoperating voltage of the motor 201. The controller 210 may monitor(e.g., measure) an output of the voltage sensor and compare the measuredvoltage to an upper threshold voltage. If the measured voltage exceedsthe upper threshold voltage, the controller 210 may de-energize thefirst coil 205 and/or second coil 207 in order to reduce a likelihood ofthe motor 201 being exposed to a voltage higher than a normal operatingvoltage. In another example, if the measured voltage is lower than alower threshold voltage, the controller 210 may de-energize the firstcoil 205 and/or second coil 207 in order to reduce a likelihood of themotor 201 being exposed to a voltage lower than a normal operatingvoltage. In this way, the motor may have a threshold operating rangebetween the lower and upper threshold voltages and when a measuredvoltage is outside this range, the controller may stop operating themotor to reduce degradation to the motor, winch, and/or vehicle to whichthe winch is coupled.

In yet another example, the motor current sensor may be configured tomeasure an operating current of the motor 201. The controller maymonitor an output of the current sensor and compared the measuredcurrent to a threshold current. If the measured current exceeds thethreshold current, the controller 210 may de-energize the first coil 205and/or second coil 207 in order to reduce a likelihood of the motor 201being exposed to an electrical current higher than a normal operatingcurrent.

Additionally, the controller 210 may include instructions stored thereonfor recording and storing specific winch events in non-volatile memoryof the controller 210. For example, the controller 210 may record andstore winch usage data which may include one or more of motor current,temperature, and/or voltage levels throughout winch operation, adirection of rotation of the winch motor, events where motor operationof the winch had to be determined due to the motor temperature, current,and/or voltage exceeding or decreasing below threshold levels (asdescribed above), winch clutch operation, etc. This usage data may bestored in the controller 210 and then referenced during servicing of thewinch or via a wireless connection with an external device. In this way,the usage data may be obtained to aid in winch system development,customer service, and/or winch servicing or repair.

In some embodiments, new set points may be loaded into the controller210, by a user (via a wireless or direct wired connection to thecontroller via the terminals) to change how the controller adjusts motoroperation based on measured voltage, temperature, speed, and/or current.For example, new or updated threshold current, voltage, temperature,and/or speed levels for motor operation may be loaded onto the memory ofthe controller. As a result, after updating these stored thresholds, thecontroller 210 may adjust motor operation according to the newly updatedthresholds (and not based on the old or previously stored thresholds).In another example, a bootloader may be present to change theapplication code stored in the controller memory, in the field (e.g.,during winch operation and/or when the winch is installed on a vehicle),in order to fix a bug or to provide new functionality for a specificwinching application.

FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional view of the motor 201 and contactorassembly 200 assembled together within the motor housing 105 while FIG.3B shows an assembled view of the motor assembly 199. As described abovewith reference to FIG. 2, the armature 204 may rotate around the centralaxis 190 and is positioned within an interior of the flux ring 206. Asshown in FIG. 3A, a first side 360 of the motor 201 is positioned awayfrom the motor end cap 106 and toward the drum 118 (shown by FIG. 1),while a second side 362 is positioned toward the motor end cap 106 andthe contactor assembly 200. By positioning and integrating the motor 201and contactor assembly 200 together within the motor housing 105 asshown by FIGS. 2-3, the contactor assembly 200 may flow electricalcurrent from the power source 175 (shown by FIG. 1) to the armature 204in order to drive a rotation of the drum 118 as described above. Thearmature 204 and contactor assembly 200 may be electrically coupled viathe brushes 218 (shown by FIG. 2) such that only the single power cable171 (shown by FIG. 1) electrically couples the power source 175 to thewinch 100 (shown by FIG. 1). In this way, an amount of wired electricalconnections between the motor 201, contactor assembly 200, and powersource 175 may be reduced, thereby increasing an ease of installationand maintenance of components of the winch 100. In some examples, alength of the wired electrical connections may also be reduced byintegrating the motor 201 and contactor assembly 200 together relativeto a winch in which the contactor assembly is located outside of (e.g.,remote from) the motor, thereby reducing a likelihood of wiredegradation. FIG. 3B shows an assembled, external view of the motorassembly 199 where the motor housing 105 is formed by the first drumsupport 110 coupled to the motor end cap 106. The electrical cable 235coupled to the controller 210 is shown extending outward from the motorhousing 105. Further, the electrical terminals 180 also extend outwardfrom the motor housing 105 on the motor end cap 106.

FIGS. 4-5 each show a second embodiment of a motor assembly 490including a motor 401, a contactor assembly 400, and the motor housing105. FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the motor assembly 490, while FIG.5 shows the motor 401 and contactor assembly 400 assembled togetherwithin the motor housing 105. Similar parts shown by FIGS. 1-3 may belabeled similarly and may not be re-introduced below.

The motor 401 includes the flux ring 206 and an armature 402. Thearmature 402 includes a first portion 432, a second portion 434, and athird portion 436. Similar to the armature 204 shown by FIGS. 2-3, thearmature 402 is configured to fit within an inner circumference of theflux ring 206 and to rotate around the central axis 190 in response toenergization of coils internal to the armature 402 (e.g., via aninteraction of electrical current flowing through the coils with themagnetic field produced by the flux ring 206, described above withreference to FIG. 2). In other words, the central axis 190 is arotational axis of the motor 401. The third portion 436 has an outerdiameter 504 (shown by FIG. 5) less than the inner diameter 331 of theflux ring 206 and may be greater than an outer diameter 502 (shown byFIG. 5) of the second portion 434. The outer diameter 502 of the secondportion 434 may be greater than an outer diameter 550 of the firstportion 432.

The contactor assembly 400 shown by FIGS. 4-5 includes a brush assembly409 formed together as a single piece with a contactor housing 424. Inother words, the brush assembly 409 and contactor housing 424 are notcoupled via one or more fasteners (as in the example of the brushassembly 202 and contactor housing 224 shown by FIGS. 2-3) but insteadare molded and/or fused together as a single unit. Further, the brushassembly 409 may be included as part of the contactor housing 224. Inalternate embodiments, the brush assembly 409 and contactor housing 224may be two separate pieces coupled together via a plurality of fasteners(e.g., bolts). A plurality of brushes 406 are coupled with the brushassembly 202 and positioned radially around the central axis 190. Eachof the brushes 406 is urged away from the brush assembly 409 in adirection 422 parallel to the central axis 190 via one or more biasingelements (e.g., springs, not shown). In this configuration, when themotor 401 and contactor assembly 400 are assembled together within themotor housing 105, the brushes 406 are pressed against an end surface431 of the second portion 434 of the armature 402 and are not pressedagainst the second portion 434 along an outer circumference 430 of thesecond portion 434. In other words, the brushes 406 are urged in anaxial direction relative to the central axis 190 against the armature402. The brushes 406 and biasing members may each be formed ofelectrically conductive materials. In one example, the brushes 406 maybe made of carbon and the biasing members may be made of a conductivemetal such as copper or steel.

The contactor assembly 400 includes a first coil 405 and a second coil407 (similar to first coil 205 and second coil 207, respectively, shownby FIGS. 2-3) positioned within an interior of the contactor housing424. However, in alternate embodiments, the contactor assembly 400 mayinclude two or more coils (such as first coil 405, second coil 407, andan additional, third coil). The first coil 405 is positioned opposite tothe second coil 407 in a direction perpendicular to the central axis 190such that an outer surface of the first coil 405 is a distance 500(shown by FIG. 5) from an outer surface of the second coil 407. Thebrush assembly 409 is positioned between the first coil 405 and secondcoil 407 such that the brush assembly 409 fits within the distance 500and surrounds the first portion 432 of the armature 402. As describedabove with reference to the first coil 205 and the second coil 207 shownby FIGS. 2-3, the first coil 405 and/or second coil 407 may be energizedin order to flow electrical current through the brushes 406 of thecontactor assembly 400 and into the armature 402. In one example,energization of the first coil 405 and/or second coil 407 may apply amagnetic force to components internal to the contactor housing 424 inorder to close an electrical circuit between the brushes 406, the powersource 175 (shown by FIG. 1) and the armature, thereby flowingelectrical current from the power source 175 to the brushes 406 and tothe motor (and therefore, the armature 402) via the contactor assembly400.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 2-3, the controller 210 mayinclude instructions stored in non-transitory memory to energize orde-energize the first coil 405 and/or the second coil 407 in response toinput from the operator of the winch 100 (shown by FIG. 1). In theexample shown by FIGS. 4-5, the controller 210 is coupled to thecontactor housing 424 at a first side 426 of the contactor housing 424.The first side 426 is opposite to a second side 428 in the direction ofthe central axis 190 such that the first side 426 is closer to the motorend cap 106 than the second side 428. The controller 210 may include aplurality of sensors as described above with reference to FIGS. 2-3 andmay be configured to adjust winch operation in response to input fromthe operator of the winch according to the examples described above.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the motor housing 105 with themotor 401 and contactor assembly 400 positioned within the motor housing105. The armature 402 of the motor 401 is mounted within the motorhousing 105 such that the armature 402 may rotate relative to the fluxring 206 and motor housing 105. However, the contactor assembly 400 ismounted within the motor housing 105 such that the contactor assembly isnot rotatable relative to the motor housing 105. In the example shown byFIGS. 4-5, a first end 560 of the motor 401 is positioned away from themotor end cap 106 and toward the drum 118 (shown by FIG. 1), while asecond end 562 of the motor 401 is positioned opposite to the first end560 in the direction of the central axis 190 and toward the motor endcap 106 and contactor assembly 400.

A schematic diagram of a motor assembly 600 of a winch (e.g., winch 100shown by FIG. 1) is shown by FIG. 6. In one example, motor assembly 600may be a schematic representation of the first embodiment of a motorassembly described above with reference to FIGS. 1-3 or the secondembodiment of a motor assembly described above with reference to FIGS.4-5 (e.g., motor assembly 199 and motor assembly 490, respectively).Motor assembly 600 includes a motor 601 (e.g., similar to motor 201 andmotor 401 described above) and a contactor assembly 608 (e.g., similarto contactor assembly 200 and contactor assembly 400 described above)positioned within an interior 603 of a motor housing 622 (e.g., similarto motor housing 105 described above). Motor assembly 600 is shown byFIG. 6 in order to illustrate a relative number and positioning ofelectrical connections between components of the motor assembly 600positioned within the interior of the motor housing 622 and componentsof a winch system positioned outside of the motor housing 622.

Brush assembly 616 (e.g., similar to brush assembly 202 and brushassembly 409 described above), armature 618 (e.g., similar to armature204 and armature 402 described above), and controller 609 (e.g., similarto controller 210 described above) are each positioned within theinterior 603 of the motor housing 622 along with the contactor assembly608. In some examples, the controller 609 and contactor assembly 608 arecoupled together as a single unit. The controller 609 may communicatewirelessly (e.g., receive and/or transmit electromagnetic signals) viawireless signals 624 (e.g., radio waves) with a remote control 626 inorder to control an operation of the motor 601 and other components ofthe winch (as described above with reference to the examples shown byFIGS. 1-5). The controller 609 may also communicate wirelessly viawireless signals 629 (e.g., radio waves) with one or more accessories627 of the winch. In one example, accessories 627 may include winchlights, lights of a vehicle coupled to the winch, and other types ofaccessories. Thus, in some examples, the controller 609 may controloperation of the motor and/or the accessories 627. The brush assembly616 is electrically coupled with the contactor assembly 608 by a firstelectrical connection 612 and a second electrical connection 614. In oneexample, first electrical connection 612 and second electricalconnection 614 are wired electrical connections extending from thecontactor assembly 608 to the brush assembly 616. In another example,the first electrical connection 612 and second electrical connection 614may not be wired electrical connections but may instead be directelectrical connections between conductive contacts of the contactorassembly 608 and conductive contacts of the brush assembly 616. In yetother examples, the contactor assembly may additionally be electricallycoupled with a flux ring (e.g., flux ring 206) within the interior 603of the motor housing 622 via one or more wired electrical connections ordirect electrical connections as described above. The armature 618 ofthe motor 601 may be coupled to a gear set of the winch via a drum 620(as described above with reference to motor 201 and drum 118 shown byFIG. 1).

The motor may be powered by a power source 602 external to the motorhousing 622. In one example, the power source 602 may be a battery of avehicle (e.g., a vehicle coupled with the winch). The power source 602transmits electrical energy (e.g., electrical current) to the contactorassembly 608 via a first wired electrical connection 604 and a secondwired electrical connection 606. In some examples, first wiredelectrical connection 604 and second wired electrical connection 606 maybe bundled together as a single wire harness. The first wired electricalconnection 604 and second wired electrical connection 606 are coupled toterminals 610 (e.g., similar to electrical terminals 180 describedabove) of the contactor assembly 608. In one example, the terminals 610are positioned external to the interior 603 of the motor housing 622. Asa result, the first wired electrical connection 604 and second wiredelectrical connection 606 are the only external wired electricalconnections (e.g., external to the interior 603) coupled to thecontactor assembly 608. No other electrical connections external to theinterior 603 are coupled to the contactor assembly 608, brush assembly616, armature 618, or controller 609.

In an alternate embodiment, the contactor assemblies described above maybe mounted around a motor of the winch. For example, as shown in FIGS.7-9, a contactor 702 may be mounted against and around a portion of amotor 704 of a winch. Specifically, FIGS. 7-9 show a motor assembly 700for a winch, such as the winch 100 shown in FIG. 1. In this way, themotor assembly 700 may be the motor assembly 199 shown in FIG. 1, in oneembodiment. The motor assembly 700 includes the motor 704 coupled to adrum support 706 of the winch (which may be similar to first drumsupport 110 shown in FIG. 1), the contactor 702 mounted around a portionof an outer surface 708 of the motor 704, and an electrical terminalcover 710 coupled to an end of the contactor 702 and around a portion ofthe outer surface 708 of the motor 704. The electrical terminal cover710 includes a contoured surface 711 and the outer cylindrical surfaceof the motor 704 fits (e.g., sits) within and against the contouredsurface 711.

In one example, the motor 704 may include an armature and flux ringhoused within the outer housing (formed by outer surface 708) of themotor 704. Thus, in some embodiments motor 704 may include similarcomponents to the motors described above with reference to FIGS. 1-6. Inother embodiments, the motor 704 may be an alternate type of motoradapted to operate with the contactor 702. The contactor 702 may includea contactor assembly housed within an outer casing (e.g., housing) 712of the contactor 702. The contactor assembly may include two or morecoils (such as coils 205 and 207 shown in FIG. 2) spaced apart from oneanother within an interior of the contactor 702. The contactor assemblymay be one of, or include similar components as, the contactorassemblies described herein, such as contactor assembly 200 shown inFIGS. 2-3 or contactor assembly 400 shown in FIGS. 4-5.

By spacing the two or more coils apart from one another within thecontactor 702, the contactor may be shaped to mount around a portion ofthe motor 704. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the contactor 702 has asaddle shape with a contoured, concave inner surface 714 that is shapedto fit against the complementary contoured, convex outer surface 708 ofthe motor 704. In this way, the concave inner surface 714 may haveface-sharing contact with the outer surface 708 when the motor 704 andcontactor 702 and coupled to (or fit against) one another. The convexouter surface 708 has sidewalls that curve around a portion of an outercircumference of outer surface 708. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7,the contactor 702 couples around a bottom surface of the outer surface708 (with respect to a vertical direction and a surface on which thewinch sits). However, in alternate embodiments, the contactor 702 maycouple around a side or top portion of the outer surface 708 (e.g., suchthat the contactor 702 is oriented above or to the left or right side ofthe motor 704 instead of below the motor 704, as shown in FIGS. 7-9).

Contactor 702 includes a plurality of electrical connections (e.g.,terminals) extending outward from an outer end wall 716 of the housingof the contactor 702, where the outer end wall 716 is arranged normal toa central axis of the motor 704 and faces an outer end of the motorassembly 700 (e.g., an end of the motor assembly that is positionedfurthest away from a drum of the winch and arranged opposite the drumsupport 706). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the contactor 702includes electrical motor connections 720 and battery connections 722which are separated from one another (e.g., divided) along the outer endwall 716 and covered (e.g., capped or enclosed) by the terminal cover710. As such, these separate electrical connections may be protectedfrom outside contact and from contact with one another. The batteryconnections 722 may be adapted to couple to one or more wires orelectrical coupling elements coupled to a power source, such as avehicle battery or control unit of the winch. The electrical motorconnections 720 may couple to wires or bus bars coupled to and extendingfrom the motor 704. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the motor assembly700 includes bus bars (or may alternatively be wired connections) 724which directly and electrically couple electrical contactor connections726 of the motor 704 to the electrical motor connections 720 of thecontactor 702. The electrical connections between the motor 704 andcontactor 702 are greatly reduced in length due to the contactor 702 becoupled directly to and positioned around a portion of the motor 702,within a space (e.g., envelope, as described further below) defined bythe drum support 706 (as compared to systems where the contactor isseparated from and not in contact with the motor). As shown in FIG. 7,the electrical motor connections 720 extend a short distance away fromthe end wall 722, in a direction of central axis 718, and the bus bars724 extend vertically, a short direction toward the electrical motorconnections 720, in a direction perpendicular to the central axis 718.Further, the single and same electrical terminal cover 710 covers andencases the electrical motor connections 720, battery connections 722,and electrical contactor connections 726 within the same space.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the outer casing 712 of the contactor 702 andan inner surface 728 of the drum support 706 include complementarymating features 730 that lock together, thereby, coupling the contactor702 to the drum support 706. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the drumsupport 706 includes a first mating feature 732 that depresses into theinner surface 728 (there may be two of the first mating features 732arranged on the inner surface 728, one on each side of the inner surface728 relative to central axis 718) and is adapted to receive acomplementary, second mating feature 731 (as shown in FIG. 9) thatprotrudes outward from an inner end wall 734 of the contactor 702.

As shown in FIG. 8, the contactor 702 mounts to the motor 704 whilestaying within an envelope defined by outer walls 736 of the drumsupport 706. Specifically, the outer walls 736 of the drum support 706define an overall width 738 and height 740 of the motor assembly 700.The motor 704, contactor 702, and electrical terminal cover 710, all fitwithin the bounds defined by the width 738 and height 740. Said anotherway, an entirety of the contactor 702 and the motor 702 fit within anddo not extend outside of the envelope defined by the outer walls 736 ofthe drum support 706. For example, no part of the contactor 702 and nopart of the motor 704 extend beyond the bounds of the drum support 706,as defined by the outer walls 736. As such, the space occupied by theoverall motor assembly 700 is reduced and the overall form factor of thewinch is maintained at a desired size. In some embodiments, the motor704, contactor 702, and electrical terminal cover 710 may all bepositioned (e.g., enclosed) within a motor housing of the motor assembly700. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a motor end cap (such as motor endcap 106) may be positioned around the motor 704 and contactor 702 andcouples to drum support 706. In this way, the motor 704 and contactor702 may be positioned within a same housing. In other examples, theelectrical terminal cover 710 may be shaped to be positioned around themotor 704 and contactor 702 and couple to the drum support 706, and maybe referred to as a motor end cap.

FIGS. 10A-10E each show different views of a motor housing 1000 for awinch (e.g., a winch similar to the winch 100 shown by FIG. 1 anddescribed above). The motor housing 1000 includes a drum support 1002and a motor end cap 1004 (e.g., similar to the examples of the drumsupport 110 and motor end cap 106 described above). The motor end cap1004 may be referred to herein as an electrical terminal cover. The drumsupport 1002 and the motor end cap 1004 are coupleable to each other. Inthe example shown by FIGS. 10A-10E, the motor end cap 1004 and the drumsupport 1002 are coupled (e.g., mounted) together via a plurality offasteners 1003 (e.g., bolts, rivets, etc.). In other examples, the motorend cap 1004 and drum support 1002 may be coupled together in adifferent way (e.g., via one or more clamps, adhesives, fused together,etc.). Reference axes 1099 are included by FIGS. 10A-13 for comparisonof the views shown.

The motor housing 1000 includes a motor 1280 disposed therein, thecomponents of which are described further below with reference to FIGS.11A-13. However, in the views shown by FIGS. 10A-10C, a spindle 1006 ofthe motor is shown projecting from the drum support 1002. Duringconditions in which the motor within the motor housing 1000 is adjustedto an operational mode (e.g., a mode in which the motor is on and isenergized by a power source, such as a battery), the spindle 1006 may bedriven by the motor in order to rotate a drum of the winch. In someexamples, the drum of the winch may be supported by the drum support1002. The drum support may maintain a position of the drum relative toother components of the winch, such as the motor housing 1000, and maybe coupled to the drum such that the drum may rotate relative to themotor housing 1000 during conditions in which the motor drives thespindle 1006 (e.g., rotates the spindle 1006).

FIG. 10B and FIGS. 10D-10E additionally show a ground connection 1008(e.g., electrical ground input) of the motor housing 1000. The groundconnection 1008 is positioned at the motor end cap 1004 and, in someexamples, may protrude from the motor end cap 1004. The groundconnection 1008 may be a terminal (e.g. a post) adapted to couple to awire, such as a wire from a battery of a vehicle (e.g., a vehiclecoupled to the winch including the motor housing 1000). The groundconnection 1008 is an electrically grounded component of the motorhousing 1000, with an electrical voltage at the ground connection 1008being approximately 0 V. In some examples, the ground connection 1008may be formed by a contactor 1106 positioned within the motor housing1000, described below.

FIG. 11A shows a first view of the motor end cap 1004 with the drumsupport 1002 removed. In the view shown by FIG. 11A, several componentsof the motor 1280 disposed within the motor housing 1000 are shownseparated from the motor housing 1000. For example, FIG. 11A shows acontrol module 1100 (which may be referred to herein as a controller), abrush plate assembly 1102 (which may be referred to herein as a brushassembly), a field coil array 1104, and the contactor 1106. The controlmodule 1100, the brush plate assembly 1102, the field coil array 1104,and the contactor 1106 are each shaped to fit within the motor housing1000 during conditions in which the motor end cap 1004 is coupled to thedrum support 1002 (shown by FIGS. 10A-10E and described above). Forexample, the brush plate assembly 1102 includes a first opening 1103, asecond opening 1105, a third opening 1107, and a fourth opening 1109.The first opening 1103, the second opening 1105, the third opening 1107,and the fourth opening 1109 may each be a through-hole (e.g., aperture)formed by a brush plate 1111 of the brush plate assembly 1102. The brushplate 1111 may couple to an interior of the motor end cap 1004 byaligning each of the first opening 1103, the second opening 1105, thethird opening 1107, and the fourth opening 1109 with respective platemounts of the motor end cap 1004. Specifically, during conditions inwhich the brush plate 1111 is positioned within the interior of themotor end cap 1004, the first opening 1103 may be aligned with a firstbrush mount 1118 of the motor end cap 1004, the second opening 1105 maybe aligned with a second brush mount 1114, the third opening 1107 may bealigned with a third brush mount 1116, and the fourth opening 1109 maybe aligned with a fourth brush mount 1120. The first brush mount 1118,the second brush mount 1114, the third brush mount 1116, and the fourthbrush mount 1120 may each be an opening (e.g., a blind hole, aperture,etc.) formed by the motor end cap 1004. In some examples, a diameter ofeach of the brush mounts (e.g., an amount of opening of each brushmount) may be a same amount as a diameter of each opening of the brushplate 1111 (e.g., first opening 1103, second opening 1105, third opening1107, and fourth opening 1109). In other examples, one or more of theopenings of the brush plate 1111 may have a different diameter relativeto each other opening of the brush plate 1111, and the respective brushmounts of the motor end cap 1004 to which the openings of the brushplate 1111 are configured to align may have similar relative diameters.For example, the second opening 1105 may be larger than the otheropenings of the brush plate 1111, and the second brush mount 1114 may becorrespondingly larger than the other brush mounts of the motor end cap1004. Other example configurations are possible. In order to couple thebrush plate 1111 to the motor end cap 1004, a fastener (e.g., bolt) maybe inserted through each opening of the brush plate 1111 and eachcorresponding brush mount of the motor end cap 1004. For example, afirst fastener may be inserted through both of the first opening 1103and the first brush mount 1118, a second fastener may be insertedthrough both of the second opening 1105 and the second brush mount 1114,etc. In some examples, the fasteners may be threaded fasteners, and inother examples, the fasteners may not be threaded.

The brush plate assembly 1102 includes a plurality of conductive brushescoupled to the brush plate 1111. In the examples described herein withreference to FIGS. 11A-13, the brush plate assembly 1102 includes fourelectrically-conductive brushes (e.g., first brush 1113, second brush1115, third brush 1117, and fourth brush 1119), with each beingpositioned in a radial arrangement around the brush plate 1111 and beingbiased (e.g., urged) in a radial direction of a central opening 1121 ofthe brush plate 1111 (e.g., a radial direction relative to central axis1005) by a biasing member (e.g., a spring). In this configuration, aportion of an armature 1200 of the motor (shown by FIGS. 12-13 anddescribed further below) is positioned within the central opening 1121,and the conductive brushes are biased into face-sharing contact with thearmature around the central opening 1121. In other examples, the brushplate assembly 1102 may include a different number ofelectrically-conductive brushes (e.g., two, three, five, eight, etc.)and/or may include a different relative arrangement of the conductivebrushes. For example, each of the conductive brushes may be biased(e.g., urged) in an axial direction of the armature toward an endsurface of the armature and parallel to a rotational axis of thearmature (and parallel to central axis 1005) by a biasing member (e.g.,a spring), similar to the example shown by FIGS. 4-5 and describedabove. In the axial configuration (e.g., the configuration describedabove in which the conductive brushes are biased in the axial directiontoward the end surface of the armature), the conductive brushes areconfigured to be positioned in face-sharing contact with the end surfaceof the armature.

The brush plate assembly 1102 additionally includes a connector 1122(e.g., a wire, wire harness, electrically conductive cable, etc.,configured to electrically couple the conductive brushes of the brushplate assembly 1102 to the contactor 1106. The connector 1122 is coupledin direct, face-sharing contact with a corresponding connector 1132 ofthe contactor 1106 (which may be referred to herein as an electricalconnection). In one example, the connector 1132 of the contactor 1106may be a terminal (e.g., an electrically conductive post), and theconnector 1122 of the brush plate assembly 1102 may be wrapped aroundthe connector 1132, fused (e.g., welded, soldered, etc.) with theconnector 1132, etc. In other examples, the connector 1122 of the brushplate assembly 1102 and the connector 1132 of the contactor 1106 may beformed together as a single piece (e.g., a solid bar of electricallyconductive material, such as copper).

The contactor 1106 may include a contactor assembly housed within anouter casing (e.g., housing) 1189 of the contactor 1106. The contactorassembly may include two or more coils (such as coils 205 and 207 shownin FIG. 2) spaced apart from one another within an interior of thecontactor 1106 and arranged opposite one another across central axis1005 of the contactor 1106. The coils disposed within the interior ofthe contactor 1106 (e.g., within the outer casing 1189) may be referredto herein as contactor coils.

The contactor 1106 is additionally electrically coupled to the fieldcoil array 1104 by a first field terminal 1128 and a second fieldterminal 1130 (which may be referred to herein as electricalconnections). The first field terminal 1128 is directly coupled inface-sharing contact with a first connector 1124 of the field coil array1104, and the second field terminal 1130 is directly coupled inface-sharing contact with a second connector 1126 of the field coilarray 1104. In some examples, similar to the example described abovewith reference to the connector 1122 of the brush plate assembly 1102and the connector 1132, the first field terminal 1128 and the firstconnector 1124 may be formed together as a single piece, and/or thesecond field terminal 1130 and the second connector 1126 may be formedtogether as a single piece.

The field coil array 1104 includes a plurality of field coils configuredto produce a magnetic field between each of the field coils. The fieldcoil array 1104 is enclosed by flux ring 1204. The flux ring 1204 may bea cylindrical structure shaped to house the field coil array 1104. Insome examples, the flux ring 1204 may be formed of a ferrous, metallicmaterial (e.g., iron), and the flux ring 1204 may increase an intensity(e.g., an amplitude) of the magnetic field produced by the field coilsof the field coil array 1104. The motor may be supported partially bythe contactor 1106, with a bottom end 1273 of the flux ring 1204 beingseated against (and partially surrounded by) a top end 1271 of thecontactor 1106. Said another way, the motor 1280 is supported by theouter casing 1189 and is partially surrounded by the outer casing 1189,with the flux ring 1204 being positioned in face-sharing contact with anouter surface of the outer casing 1189 at the top end 1271.

In the example shown by FIGS. 11A-13, the field coil array 1104 includesfour field coils. Specifically, the field coil array 1104 includes afirst field coil 1123, a second field coil 1125, a third field coil1127, and a fourth field coil 1129. In other examples, the field coilarray 1104 may include a different number of field coils (e.g., two,six, eight, etc.). The field coil array 1104 includes a central opening1131 shaped to receive and surround the armature 1200 (shown by FIGS.12-13). The field coils of the field coil array 1104 may be selectivelyenergized via the contactor 1106 in order to produce the magnetic fieldin a region of the armature 1200. For example, as shown by FIG. 11B andFIGS. 12-13, the contactor 1106 includes a power terminal 1134 (e.g.,electrical power input) positioned at an end of the contactor 1106opposite to the connector 1132. The power terminal 1134 is configured tobe electrically coupled to a power source (e.g., a battery of avehicle). In one example, the power source may be connected to the powerterminal 1134 via a single wire, wire harness, cable, etc.

Although the power terminal 1134 is configured to be maintained inelectrical communication with the power source (e.g., a voltage at thepower terminal 1134 may be maintained at a non-zero voltage value by thepower source), the contactor 1106 is configured to electrically isolatethe power source from the field coils of the field coil array 1104 andthe conductive brushes of the brush plate assembly 1102 duringconditions in which the motor is in an non-operational mode (e.g.,during a condition in which the contactor coils are not energized).

For example, similar to the example of the control module 1100 describedabove, energization of the brushes of the brush plate assembly 1102and/or the field coils of the field coil array 1104 may be controlled bythe control module 1100, with the control module 1100 being positionedwithin the motor housing 1000. Specifically, the control module 1100 mayinclude one or more openings (e.g., apertures) positioned to align withone or more corresponding controller mounts of the motor end cap 1004.As shown by FIG. 11A, the control module 1100 includes a first opening1141 and a second opening 1143, with the first opening 1141 positionedto align with a first controller mount 1110 of the motor end cap 1004,and with the second opening 1143 positioned to align with a secondcontroller mount 1112. Similar to the examples described above withreference to the openings of the brush plate 1111 and the brush mountsof the motor end cap 1004, fasteners may be inserted through theopenings of the control module 1100 and the corresponding controllermounts of the motor end cap 1004 in order to couple the control module1100 to the motor end cap 1004. Specifically, a first fastener may beinserted through the first opening 1141 and the first controller mount1110, and a second fastener may be inserted through the second opening1143 and the second controller mount 1112. The fasteners may be threadedfasteners, or in other examples the fasteners may not be threaded. Insome examples, the outer casing 1189 of the contactor 1106 may becoupled to the motor end cap 1004 in a similar way (e.g., via one ormore fasteners). In other examples, the outer casing 1189 may be coupledto the motor end cap 1004 via one or more features of the outer casing1189 shaped to mate (e.g., engage) with one or more counterpart featuresof the motor end cap 1004.

The control module 1100 may include instructions stored innon-transitory memory to energize the field coils of the field coilarray 1104 and/or the brushes of the brush plate assembly 1102 inresponse to input by an operator of the winch (e.g., the winch includingthe motor housing 1000, similar to winch 100 shown by FIG. 1). In oneexample, energizing the field coils of the field coil array 1104 and/orbrushes of the brush plate assembly 1102 may include energizing thecontactor coils positioned within the outer casing 1189 of the contactor1106 in order to move one or more components (e.g., switches) within theouter casing 1189 and complete an electrical circuit within thecontactor 1106 between the field coils, brushes, and the power source(e.g., connect the power source to the field coils and brushes via thecontactor 1106 and adjust the motor to an operational mode). In anotherexample, de-energizing the field coils of the field coil array 1104and/or brushes of the brush plate assembly 1102 may includede-energizing the contactor coils in order to move the one or morecomponents within the outer casing 1189 and disconnect the power sourcefrom the field coils and/or brushes (e.g., adjust the motor to thenon-operational mode).

In some examples, the control module 1100 may be in wirelesscommunication with one or more devices external to the winch and themotor housing 1000. In some examples, the control module 1100 maycontrol operation of one or more accessories of the winch (e.g., winchlights, lights of a vehicle coupled to the winch, etc.), as describedabove with reference to controller 210 and controller 609. In anotherexample, the operator of the winch may interface with a remote control(or another remote controller device such as a wired remote, wirelessremote, a vehicle system controller, or the like) in order to send awireless signal (e.g., radio wave signal) to the control module 1100indicating that a rotation of a drum of the winch (e.g., similar to drum118 shown by FIG. 1) in a first direction is desired by the operator.The control module 1100 may then energize the field coils of the fieldcoil array 1104 to produce the magnetic field at the armature 1200, andmay energize the brushes of the brush plate assembly 1102 in order toflow electrical current through the brushes and into the armature 1200.The magnetic field produced by the field coils may interact with theenergized armature in order to rotate the armature within the motorhousing 1000 (e.g., rotate the armature 1200 around central axis 1005 ofthe armature 1200, with the armature 1200 coupled to the drum support1002 via bearing 1108 positioned around spindle 1006), with the rotatingarmature driving a gear reduction unit of the winch (e.g., gearreduction unit positioned within a gear housing of the winch, similar togear housing 126) to rotate the drum in the first direction. The centralaxis 1005 of the armature 1200 may be referred to herein as the centralaxis of the contactor assembly and the motor. In another example, theoperator of the winch may interface with the remote control in order tosend a wireless signal to the control module 1100 indicating that arotation of the drum in a second direction opposite to the firstdirection is desired by the operator. The control module 1100 may thenenergize the field coils of the field coil array 1104 to produce themagnetic field at the armature 1200, and may energize the brushes of thebrush plate assembly 1102 in order to flow electrical current throughthe brushes and into the armature 1200. The magnetic field produced bythe field coils may interact with the energized armature in order torotate the armature within the motor housing 1000, with the rotatingarmature driving a gear reduction unit of the winch to rotate the drumin the second direction.

In some examples, the control module 1100 may include a motor speedsensor, motor current sensor, voltage sensor, motor direction sensor,motor position sensor, drum rotation sensor, and/or motor temperaturesensor, and the control module 1100 may be configured to receive and/ortransmit wired and/or wireless signals from/to a controller area network(CAN) and/or winch accessories (e.g., an electric free spooling clutchactuator). In the example shown by FIGS. 11A-13, the control module 1100is configured to be directly electrically connected to the contactor1106 via a controller connector 1138 of the contactor 1106. The controlmodule 1100 may receive electrical power from the power source via thecontroller connector 1138 of the contactor 1106 protruding from theouter casing 1189. In one example, the control module 1100 may beplugged directly onto the controller connector 1138 of the contactor1106 (e.g., the control module 1100 may include a port adapted to seatthe control module 1100 on the contactor 1106 and receive electricalpower from the controller connector 1138).

The control module 1100 may additionally be electrically coupled to amotor sensor 1206 (shown by FIGS. 12-13). The motor sensor 1206 (whichmay be referred to herein as a motor speed and position sensor) may becoupled to a first end 1223 of the armature 1200 (e.g., inserted ontothe first end 1223 along the central axis 1005 of the armature 1200) andmay be housed within an annular portion 1225 of the control module 1100.The annular portion 1225 of the control module 1100 may include one ormore electrically conductive contacts (e.g., surfaces) configured totransmit electrical signals from the motor sensor 1206 to the controlmodule 1100. The motor sensor 1206 may sense a speed and/or position ofthe armature 1200 relative to the contactor housing 1000 and sendelectrical signals to the control module 1100 to indicate the speedand/or position of the armature 1200. For example, the motor sensor 1206may be adapted to measure one or more of a rotational speed of themotor, a direction of rotation of the motor, and a position of themotor.

The control module 1100 may include instructions stored thereon foradjusting operation of the motor in response to an output of the motorsensor and/or one or more other sensors of the motor, such as atemperature sensor, current sensor, voltage sensor, and/or signals fromthe remote control (similar to the example described above withreference to the motor 201). In one example, the temperature sensor,current sensor, and/or voltage sensor may be directly integrated intothe control module 1100.

The temperature sensor may be configured to measure a temperature of themotor. In one example, the control module 1100 may monitor (e.g.,measure) an output of the temperature sensor and compare the measuredtemperature to a threshold temperature. If the measured temperatureexceeds the threshold temperature, the controller may de-energize (e.g.,turn off) the motor in order to reduce the temperature of the motor. Byintegrating the temperature sensor into the control module 1100, thetemperature sensor may measure the temperature of the motor, and thecontrol module 1100 may directly interpret the measured temperature fromthe temperature sensor without additional electrical connections.Similarly, by housing the motor sensor 1206 within the annular portion1225 of the control module 1100, the control module 1100 may directlyinterpret the speed and/or position of the motor from the motor sensor1206 without additional electrical connections.

In another example, the voltage sensor may be configured to measure anoperating voltage (e.g., 12 volts, 24 volts, 36 volts, or 48 volts, insome examples) of the motor. The control module 1100 may monitor (e.g.,measure) an output of the voltage sensor and compare the measuredvoltage to an upper threshold voltage. If the measured voltage exceedsthe upper threshold voltage, the control module 1100 may de-energize thefield coils of the field coil array 1104 and/or the conductive brushesof the 1102 via the contactor 1106 in order to reduce a likelihood ofthe motor being exposed to a voltage higher than a normal operatingvoltage. In another example, if the measured voltage is lower than alower threshold voltage, the control module 1100 may de-energize thefield coils of the field coil array 1104 and/or the conductive brushesof the 1102 via the contactor 1106 in order to reduce a likelihood ofthe motor being exposed to a voltage lower than a normal operatingvoltage. In one example, the normal operating voltage may be 12 volts,and the corresponding lower threshold voltage and upper thresholdvoltage may be 9 volts and 16 volts, respectively. In another example,the normal operating voltage may be 24 volts, and the correspondinglower threshold voltage and upper threshold voltage may be 18 volts and32 volts, respectively. In yet another example, the normal operatingvoltage may be 36 volts, and the corresponding lower threshold voltageand upper threshold voltage may be 27 volts and 48 volts, respectively.In yet another example, the normal operating voltage may be 48 volts,and the corresponding lower threshold voltage and upper thresholdvoltage may be 36 volts and 64 volts, respectively. In this way, themotor may have a threshold operating range between the lower and upperthreshold voltages and when a measured voltage is outside this range,the control module may stop operating the motor to reduce degradation tothe motor, winch, and/or vehicle to which the winch is coupled.

In yet another example, the motor current sensor may be configured tomeasure an operating current of the motor. The control module 1100 maymonitor an output of the current sensor and compare the measured currentto a threshold current. If the measured current exceeds the thresholdcurrent, the control module 1100 may de-energize the field coils of thefield coil array 1104 and/or the conductive brushes of the 1102 via thecontactor 1106 in order to reduce a likelihood of the motor beingexposed to an electrical current higher than a normal operating current.

Additionally, the control module 1100 may include instructions storedthereon for recording and storing specific winch events in non-volatilememory of the control module 1100. For example, the control module 1100may record and store winch usage data which may include one or more ofmotor current, temperature, and/or voltage levels throughout winchoperation, a direction of rotation of the winch motor, events wheremotor operation of the winch had to be determined due to the motortemperature, current, and/or voltage exceeding or decreasing belowthreshold levels (as described above), winch clutch operation, etc. Thisusage data may be stored in the control module 1100 and then referencedduring servicing of the winch or via a wireless connection with anexternal device. In this way, the usage data may be obtained to aid inwinch system development, customer service, and/or winch servicing orrepair.

In some embodiments, new set points may be loaded into the controlmodule 1100, by a user (via a wireless or direct wired connection to thecontroller via the terminals) to change how the controller adjusts motoroperation based on measured voltage, temperature, speed, and/or current.For example, new or updated threshold current, voltage, temperature,and/or speed levels for motor operation may be loaded onto the memory ofthe controller. As a result, after updating these stored thresholds, thecontrol module 1100 may adjust motor operation according to the newlyupdated thresholds (and not based on the old or previously storedthresholds). In another example, a bootloader may be present to changethe application code stored in the controller memory, in the field(e.g., during winch operation and/or when the winch is installed on avehicle), in order to fix a bug or to provide new functionality for aspecific winching application.

In the example shown by FIGS. 11A-13, the contactor 1106 includes awired remote connection 1136. The wired remote connection 1136 may beelectrically coupled to a control panel and/or remote control of thewinch, such as the remote control described above. For example, theremote control may be utilized by the operator of the winch in order toadjust the speed of the winch, the direction of the rotation of the drumof the winch, etc. In one example, the first end of a wire, wireharness, cable, etc. may be coupled to the wired remote connection 1136,and a second end may be coupled to the remote control and/or controlpanel. Within an interior of the contactor 1106, the wired remoteconnection 1136 may be electrically coupled to the controller connector1138. In this configuration, the control module 1100 may be seateddirectly on the controller connector 1138, and electrical signals may betransmitted between the control module 1100 and the remote controland/or control panel. For example, the control module 1100 may transmitelectrical signals to the remote control and/or control panel bytransmitting the electrical signals through the contactor 1106 from thecontroller connector 1138 to the wired remote connection 1136. Inanother example, the remote control and/or control panel may transmitelectrical signals to the control module 1100 through the contactor 1106from the wired remote connection 1136 to the controller connector 1138.In yet other examples, the contactor 1106 may not include the wiredremote connection 1136.

In the configurations described above with reference to FIGS. 10A-13,there are no additional electrical connections between the contactor1106 and the motor 1280 outside of the interior of the motor housing. Inone example, the only electrical connection of the contactor 1106 andmotor 1280 to the power source (e.g., the vehicle battery) that extendsoutside of the interior of the motor housing 1000 is the electricalconnection (e.g., wire, wire harness, cable, etc.) coupling the powerterminal 1134 of the contactor 1106 to the power source. The motor 1280is adapted to receive electrical power via only the contactor 1106, andthe power terminal 1134 is the only component electrically coupling thecontactor 1106 to the power source.

FIGS. 12-13 show different exploded views of motor assembly 1289disposed within the motor housing 1000. During conditions in which themotor assembly 1289 is assembled, the contactor 1106 (e.g., contactorassembly) is positioned in face sharing contact with a portion of anouter surface 1290 of the motor 1280 (e.g., the flux ring 1204).Specifically, the outer casing 1189 of the contactor 1106 includes aplurality of inner surfaces positioned in face sharing contact with theouter surface 1290 of the motor 1280, with the outer surface 289 being acylindrical outer surface of the motor 1280. For example, the outercasing 1189 includes a first angled surface 1291 and a second angledsurface 1292 positioned opposite to each other across the central axis1005. The first angled surface 1291 and the second angled surface 1292are angled opposite to each other (e.g., angled in opposite directionsrelative to each other and relative to the central axis 1005). The firstangled surface 1291 and the second angled surface 1292 may be referredto herein as inner surfaces. The first angled surface 1291 and thesecond angled surface 1292 are each planar surfaces (e.g., flatsurfaces, without curvature). In other examples, the first angledsurface 1291 and/or second angled surface 1292 may be curved (e.g.,curving upwards or downwards in a vertical direction relative to asurface on which the winch including the motor assembly 1289 sits).

As described above, the bottom end 1273 of the flux ring 1204 ispositioned in face-sharing contact with the first angled surface 1291and the second angled surface 1292. The bottom end 1273 may be referredto herein as a bottom portion of the motor 1280. The bottom end 1273 isthe bottom end of the motor 1280 relative to a vertical direction andsurface on which the winch that it includes the motor assembly 1289sits. The contactor 1106 (e.g., contactor assembly) is positionedvertically below the motor 1280 in the vertical direction (e.g., thedirection of the z-axis of reference axes 1099).

The contactor 1106 additionally includes outer top walls positioned atthe top end 1271. Specifically, the outer casing 1189 of the contactor1106 includes a first outer top wall 1293 and a second outer top wall1294. The first outer top wall 1293 is positioned opposite to the secondouter top wall 1294 across the central axis 1005. The first outer topwall 1293 and the second outer top wall 1294 are each planar, outersurfaces of the outer casing 1189 of the contactor 1106 (e.g., contactorassembly). The first outer top wall 1293 and the second outer top wall1294 may be parallel and positioned at a same vertical height (e.g., asame vertical position along the z-axis of reference axes 1099) relativeto each other in some examples, such as that shown by FIGS. 12-13 anddescribed herein. In other examples, the first outer top wall 1293 andthe second outer top wall 1294 may be positioned at different verticalheights relative to each other and/or may be positioned at an anglerelative to each other. The second field terminal 1130 extends upwardand outward from the second outer top wall 1294, and the first fieldterminal 1128 extends upward and outward from the first outer top wall1293. Specifically, the first field terminal 1128 extends in thevertical direction away from the first outer top wall 1293, and thesecond field terminal 1130 extends in the vertical direction away fromthe second outer top wall 1294, with the vertical direction beingrelative to the surface on which the winch that includes the motorassembly 1289 sits (e.g., the first field terminal 1128 and the secondfield terminal 1130 extend in a direction away from the outer casing1189). The first field terminal 1128 and the second field terminal 1130may be referred to herein as electrical connections. The first fieldterminal 1128 and the second field terminal 1130 are electricallyisolated from one another at the exterior of the outer casing 1189. Saidanother way, the first field terminal 1128 and the second field terminal1130 are not directly coupled to each other (e.g., via wires, etc.)outside of the outer casing 1189.

As described above, the contactor 1106 includes the connector 1132. Theconnector 1132 extends in the axial direction of the central axis 1005(e.g., extends axially relative to the central axis 1005, with thecentral axis 1005 being the rotational axis of the motor 1280) away froma first end wall 1237 of the outer casing 1189, with the first end wall1237 being positioned opposite to a second end wall 1239 of thecontactor 1106 along the central axis 1005. The first end wall 1237 maybe referred to herein as an outer end wall of the outer casing 1189, andthe second end wall 1239 may be referred to herein as an inner end wallof the outer casing 1189 (e.g., of the contactor 1106). The first andsecond end walls of the contactor 1106 may be planar surfaces of thecontactor 1106 (e.g., flat surfaces, and without curvature). Theconnector 1122 of the brush plate assembly 1102 may be coupled to theconnector 1132 of the contactor 1106 by one or more wires extending atleast partially in the axial direction of the central axis 1005 (e.g.,parallel to the central axis 1005). Similarly, the first field terminal1128 and the second field terminal 1130 may be coupled to the firstconnector 1124 and the second connector 1126, respectively, via one ormore wires extending at least partially in the axial direction of thecentral axis 1005. The motor end cap 1004 encloses each of theelectrical connections described above (e.g., connector 1132, firstfield terminal 1128, second field terminal 1130, first connector 1124,second connector 1126, etc.).

The drum support 1002 is coupled to an inner end 1255 of the motor andan inner end 1257 of the contactor 1106. Specifically, the motor 1280and the contactor 1106 are partially housed within the drum support 1002and are supported by the drum support 1002 (e.g., at inner end 1255 andinner end 1257). The motor 1280 and the contactor 1106 (e.g., contactorassembly) are contained (e.g., housed) within bounds defined by outerwalls 1269 of the drum support 1002. The drum support 1002 has a width1265 (e.g., in a direction of the y-axis of reference axes 1099) and aheight 1267 (e.g., in a direction of the z-axis of reference axes 1099),with the width 1265 and the height 1267 being distances between opposingouter walls 1269 of the drum support 1002. An outer end of the motor1280, opposite to the inner end 1255, is positioned away from the drumsupport 1002 and is enclosed entirely by the motor end cap 1004.

In the examples described herein (and shown by FIGS. 12-13), the firstangled surface 1291 and the second angled surface 1292 of the contactor1106 (e.g., of the outer casing 1189) are angled relative to the firstend wall 1237 and second end wall 1239. In one example, a line normal(e.g., orthogonal) to the first angled surface 1291 may be perpendicularto both of the first end wall and the second end wall (e.g.,perpendicular to a line normal to the first end wall 1237 and the secondend wall 1239). Similarly, a line normal to the second angled surface1292 may be perpendicular to both of the first end wall and the secondend wall (e.g., perpendicular to the line normal to the first end wall1237 and the second end wall 1239).

The technical effect of coupling the motor and contactor assemblytogether within the motor housing and/or together within a space definedby a drum support of the motor assembly, according to the examples shownby FIGS. 1-13 and described above, is to reduce an amount of wiredelectrical connections (e.g., external wired electrical connections thatare external to the motor housing) between the power source, thecontactor assembly, and the motor. The winch may be powered via a singlepower cable coupled to the terminals of the contactor assembly, with thebrushes of the contactor assembly flowing electrical current from thepower source to the armature of the motor. In this way, the winch may bemore easily maintained, and an ease of winch component installation maybe increased.

FIGS. 1-5 and FIGS. 7-13 show example configurations with relativepositioning of the various components. If shown directly contacting eachother, or directly coupled, then such elements may be referred to asdirectly contacting or directly coupled, respectively, at least in oneexample. Similarly, elements shown contiguous or adjacent to one anothermay be contiguous or adjacent to each other, respectively, at least inone example. As an example, components laying in face-sharing contactwith each other may be referred to as in face-sharing contact. Asanother example, elements positioned apart from each other with only aspace there-between and no other components may be referred to as such,in at least one example. As yet another example, elements shownabove/below one another, at opposite sides to one another, or to theleft/right of one another may be referred to as such, relative to oneanother. Further, as shown in the figures, a topmost element or point ofelement may be referred to as a “top” of the component and a bottommostelement or point of the element may be referred to as a “bottom” of thecomponent, in at least one example. As used herein, top/bottom,upper/lower, above/below, may be relative to a vertical axis of thefigures and used to describe positioning of elements of the figuresrelative to one another. As such, elements shown above other elementsare positioned vertically above the other elements, in one example. Asyet another example, shapes of the elements depicted within the figuresmay be referred to as having those shapes (e.g., such as being circular,straight, planar, curved, rounded, chamfered, angled, or the like).Further, elements shown intersecting one another may be referred to asintersecting elements or intersecting one another, in at least oneexample. Further still, an element shown within another element or shownoutside of another element may be referred as such, in one example.

As one embodiment, a motor assembly for a winch, comprises: a motor; acontactor assembly coupled to the motor, the contactor assemblyincluding two or more coils spaced apart from one another within acontactor housing of the contactor assembly, a brush assembly includinga plurality of brushes surrounding a central axis of the contactorassembly, and a controller; and a motor housing surrounding andenclosing the motor and contactor assembly within an interior of themotor housing. In a first example of the motor assembly, each brush ofthe plurality of brushes is urged away from the brush assembly in adirection parallel with the central axis by a biasing member. A secondexample of the motor assembly optionally includes the first example andfurther includes, wherein each brush of the plurality of brushes isurged toward the central axis in a radial direction relative to thecentral axis by a biasing member. A third example of the motor assemblyoptionally includes one or more of the first and second examples, andfurther includes wherein the brush assembly and contactor housing areformed together as a single piece. A fourth example of the motorassembly optionally includes one or more of the first through thirdexamples, and further includes wherein the brush assembly is mounted toan exterior of one side of the contactor housing. A fifth example of themotor assembly optionally includes one or more of the first throughfourth examples, and further includes wherein the controller includesone or more of a temperature sensor, motor speed sensor, motor currentsensor, and a voltage sensor. A sixth example of the motor assemblyoptionally includes one or more of the first through fifth examples, andfurther includes wherein the controller includes memory includinginstructions stored thereon for adjusting operation of the motor basedon one or more of an output of the temperature sensor, the voltagesensor, the motor speed sensor, and the motor current sensor, andsignals received from a remote in electronic communication with thecontroller. A seventh example of the motor assembly optionally includesone or more of the first through sixth examples, and further includeswherein the contactor assembly further includes one or more electricalconnections located on the contactor assembly. An eighth example of themotor assembly optionally includes one or more of the first throughseventh examples, and further includes wherein the one or moreelectrical connections include an electrical power source input and anelectrical ground input, the electrical power input separate from theelectrical ground input. A ninth example of the motor assemblyoptionally includes one or more of the first through eighth examples,and further includes wherein the motor housing includes a motor end capand a drum support, the motor end cap mounted directly or indirectly tothe drum support. A tenth example of the motor assembly optionallyincludes one or more of the first through ninth examples, and furtherincludes wherein there are no additional electrical connections betweenthe contactor assembly and the motor outside of the interior of themotor housing.

As another embodiment, a winch comprises: a rotatable drum mountedbetween a first drum support and second drum support; a motor; acontactor assembly including two or more coils, a brush assembly, andelectrical terminals; one or more electrical connections between themotor and the contactor assembly; and a motor housing surrounding andenclosing the motor and contactor assembly, and one or more electricalconnections within an interior of the motor housing, the motor housingincluding the first drum support and an aperture shaped to receive theelectrical terminals. In a first example of the winch, the two or morecoils are spaced apart from one another across a central axis of thecontactor assembly and wherein the brush assembly includes a pluralityof brushes arranged radially around the central axis. A second exampleof the winch optionally includes the first example and further includeswherein the one or more electrical connections are only electricalconnections between the motor and contactor assembly and wherein thereare no additional electrical connections between the contactor assemblyand the motor outside of the interior of the motor housing. A thirdexample of the winch optionally includes one or more of the first andsecond examples and further includes wherein the electrical terminalsare at least partially positioned external to the interior of the motorhousing. A fourth example of the winch optionally includes one or moreof the first through third examples and further includes wherein theelectrical terminals include an electrical power input and an electricalground input, the electrical power input separated from the electricalground input. A fifth example of the winch optionally includes one ormore of the first through third examples and further includes anelectronic controller coupled within the contactor assembly and whereinthe electronic controller includes instructions stored in memory of thecontroller for energizing one or more of the two or more coils andcontrolling operation of the motor and for controlling operation of oneor more accessories of the winch.

As yet another embodiment, a winch comprises: a rotatable drum mountedbetween a first drum support and second drum support; a motor end caphousing mounted to the first drum support; a motor housed entirelywithin the motor end cap housing and first drum support; and a contactorassembly housed entirely within the motor end cap housing and first drumsupport and coupled to the motor, the contactor assembly comprising: aplurality of brushes, two or more coils spaced apart and arrangedopposite one another across a central axis of the contactor assembly,and an electronic controller coupled within a contactor housing of thecontactor assembly, where the controller includes instructions stored onmemory for: controlling operation of the motor and an additionalcomponent of the winch. In a first example of the winch, the additionalcomponent of the winch includes one or more of winch lights, lights of avehicle coupled to the winch, and a clutch of the winch. A secondexample of the winch optionally includes the first example and furtherincludes wherein the controller includes a temperature sensor directlycoupled to the controller and wherein the instructions further includeinstructions for adjusting operation of the motor responsive to anoutput of the temperature sensor.

The control methods and routines disclosed herein may be stored asexecutable instructions in non-transitory memory and may be carried outby the control system including the controller in combination with thevarious sensors, actuators, and other engine hardware. The specificroutines described herein may represent one or more of any number ofprocessing strategies such as event-driven, interrupt-driven,multi-tasking, multi-threading, and the like. As such, various actions,operations, and/or functions illustrated may be performed in thesequence illustrated, in parallel, or in some cases omitted. Likewise,the order of processing is not necessarily required to achieve thefeatures and advantages of the example embodiments described herein, butis provided for ease of illustration and description. One or more of theillustrated actions, operations and/or functions may be repeatedlyperformed depending on the particular strategy being used. Further, thedescribed actions, operations and/or functions may graphically representcode to be programmed into non-transitory memory of the computerreadable storage medium in the engine control system, where thedescribed actions are carried out by executing the instructions in asystem including the various engine hardware components in combinationwith the electronic controller.

It will be appreciated that the configurations and routines disclosedherein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments arenot to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variationsare possible. The subject matter of the present disclosure includes allnovel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the varioussystems and configurations, and other features, functions, and/orproperties disclosed herein.

The following claims particularly point out certain combinations andsub-combinations regarded as novel and non-obvious. These claims mayrefer to “an” element or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof.Such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or moresuch elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more suchelements. Other combinations and sub-combinations of the disclosedfeatures, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed throughamendment of the present claims or through presentation of new claims inthis or a related application. Such claims, whether broader, narrower,equal, or different in scope to the original claims, also are regardedas included within the subject matter of the present disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A motor assembly for a winch, comprising: amotor; a contactor assembly coupled to the motor, the contactor assemblyincluding two or more coils spaced apart from one another within acontactor housing of the contactor assembly, a brush assembly includinga plurality of brushes surrounding a central axis of the contactorassembly, a plurality of electrical terminals, and a controller; and amotor housing surrounding and enclosing the motor and contactor assemblywithin an interior of the motor housing, wherein the plurality ofelectrical terminals extend through the motor housing.
 2. The motorassembly of claim 1, wherein each brush of the plurality of brushes isurged away from the brush assembly in a direction parallel with thecentral axis by a biasing member.
 3. The motor assembly of claim 1,wherein each brush of the plurality of brushes is urged toward thecentral axis in a radial direction relative to the central axis by abiasing member.
 4. The motor assembly of claim 1, wherein the brushassembly and contactor housing are formed together as a single piece. 5.The motor assembly of claim 1, wherein the brush assembly is mounted toan exterior of one side of the contactor housing.
 6. The motor assemblyof claim 1, wherein the controller includes one or more of a temperaturesensor, motor speed sensor, motor current sensor, and a voltage sensor.7. The motor assembly of claim 6, wherein the controller includes memoryincluding instructions stored thereon for adjusting operation of themotor based on one or more of an output of the temperature sensor, thevoltage sensor, the motor speed sensor, and the motor current sensor,and signals received from a remote in electronic communication with thecontroller.
 8. The motor assembly of claim 1, wherein the contactorassembly further includes one or more electrical connections located onthe contactor assembly.
 9. The motor assembly of claim 8, wherein theone or more electrical connections include an electrical power sourceinput and an electrical ground input, the electrical power inputseparate from the electrical ground input.
 10. The motor assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the motor housing includes a motor end cap and a drumsupport, the motor end cap mounted directly or indirectly to the drumsupport.
 11. The motor assembly of claim 1, wherein there are noadditional electrical connections between the contactor assembly and themotor outside of the interior of the motor housing.
 12. A winch,comprising: a rotatable drum mounted between a first drum support andsecond drum support; a motor; a contactor assembly including two or morecoils, a brush assembly, and electrical terminals; one or moreelectrical connections between the motor and the contactor assembly; anda motor housing surrounding and enclosing the motor and contactorassembly, and one or more electrical connections within an interior ofthe motor housing, the motor housing including the first drum supportand an aperture shaped to receive the electrical terminals, such thatthe electrical terminals extend through the motor housing.
 13. The winchof claim 12, wherein the two or more coils are spaced apart from oneanother across a central axis of the contactor assembly and wherein thebrush assembly includes a plurality of brushes arranged radially aroundthe central axis.
 14. The winch of claim 12, wherein the one or moreelectrical connections are only electrical connections between the motorand contactor assembly and wherein there are no additional electricalconnections between the contactor assembly and the motor outside of theinterior of the motor housing.
 15. The winch of claim 12, wherein theelectrical terminals are at least partially positioned external to theinterior of the motor housing.
 16. The winch of claim 12, wherein theelectrical terminals include an electrical power input and an electricalground input, the electrical power input separated from the electricalground input.
 17. The winch of claim 12, further comprising anelectronic controller coupled within the contactor assembly and whereinthe electronic controller includes instructions stored in memory of thecontroller for energizing one or more of the two or more coils andcontrolling operation of the motor and for controlling operation of oneor more accessories of the winch.
 18. A winch, comprising: a rotatabledrum mounted between a first drum support and second drum support; amotor end cap housing mounted to the first drum support; a motor housedentirely within the motor end cap housing and first drum support; and acontactor assembly housed entirely within the motor end cap housing andfirst drum support and coupled to the motor, the contactor assemblycomprising: a plurality of brushes, two or more coils spaced apart andarranged opposite one another across a central axis of the contactorassembly, a plurality of electrical terminals extending through themotor end cap housing, and an electronic controller coupled within acontactor housing of the contactor assembly, where the controllerincludes instructions stored on memory for: controlling operation of themotor and an additional component of the winch.
 19. The winch of claim18, wherein the additional component of the winch includes one or moreof winch lights, lights of a vehicle coupled to the winch, and a clutchof the winch.
 20. The winch of claim 18, wherein the controller includesa temperature sensor directly coupled to the controller and wherein theinstructions further include instructions for adjusting operation of themotor responsive to an output of the temperature sensor.